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CertainTeed to Demonstrate Benefits of Certa-Set PVC Irrigation System at World Ag Expo

(Valley Forge, Pa.) — CertainTeed Corporation will showcase the benefits of its Certa-Set™ PVC irrigation system at World Ag Expo, Feb. 12-14 in Tulare, Calif. In a dynamic outdoor display (Booth #J11), the company will demonstrate the durability, portability and leak-proof properties of its Certa-Set™ irrigation system over standard aluminum pipe.

CertainTeed will be joined by Ag Industrial Manufacturing Inc. (AIM) of Lodi, Calif., which will exhibit how its Golden Retriever machine quickly places and retrieves the Certa-Set pipe in a simulated field environment.

The Certa-Set system is comprised of 3-inch Yelomine pipe in 30- and 40-foot lengths, 3-inch Certa-Set sled couplings, 1/2-inch and 3/4-inch riser pipe, and 6-inch through 12-inch main line pipe. Unlike aluminum irrigation systems, Certa-Set’s specially modified PVC is designed to withstand the potentially damaging effects of prolonged exposure to sunlight, won’t pit or corrode and will not deteriorate due to electrolysis or injection of fertilizers or chemicals. Certa-Set’s sled couplings provide a hydraulic pressure seal that eliminates leaky joints, conserves water and reduces the possibility of crop loss due to puddling. Certa-Set operates at 20 percent less friction than aluminum lowering pumping costs and has a distribution uniformity of 84 percent versus 70 percent for comparable aluminum systems resulting in increased crop yield.

“Faced with feeding a growing global population, today’s growers are looking for new ways to conserve water while still achieving the highest yields and quality standards,” said Mark Brunni, product marketing manager for the CertainTeed Pipe & Foundations Group. “Certa-Set provides a unique solution that not only reduces leakage and delivers greater water distribution than aluminum, it also saves significant time and labor in the field because of how easy it is to use.”

Certa-Set can easily be shifted with a roller system to ride over the top of cultivation equipment, making it possible to harvest crops without removing irrigation pipe. It is also well suited for mechanized pipe placement and retrieval, for which AIM’s Golden Retriever is specially engineered. Utilizing a standard tractor’s three-point hitch and remote hydraulic system, the machine can handle 3- to 12-inch diameter pipe in 20- through 40-foot lengths and can pull lateral irrigation pipe from the field with risers still in place, reducing field labor. Workers feed pipe into four sets of hydraulically powered tires on each side of the machine, which propel the pipe along like mechanical rollers.

Like all CertainTeed pipe products, Certa-Set features the company’s performance-proven Certa-Lok restrained-joint system, which utilizes precision-machined grooves and a high-strength thermoplastic spline to create a fully circumferential, securely locked restrained joint. A flexible, elastomeric O-ring in the coupling provides a hydraulic pressure seal. The pipe can be assembled quickly in all weather conditions without the use of solvents, arc welding or reinforcing attachments, and can be easily disassembled and reconfigured—a real advantage for growers who need to move irrigation systems from field to field.

About CertainTeedThrough the responsible development of innovative and sustainable building products, CertainTeed, headquartered in Valley Forge, Pa., has helped shape the building products industry for more than 100 years. Founded in 1904 as General Roofing Manufacturing Company, the firm's slogan "Quality Made Certain, Satisfaction Guaranteed," quickly inspired the name CertainTeed. Today, CertainTeed® is North America’s leading brand of exterior and interior building products, including roofing, siding, fence, decking, railing, trim, foundations, pipe, insulation, gypsum, ceilings and access covers.

A subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, the world’s largest building products company, CertainTeed and its affiliates have more than 6,000 employees and more than 65 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada. Recognized as a 2009 and 2010 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CertainTeed earned the 2011 and 2012 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award, the highest level of recognition for outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through energy efficiency. The group had total sales of approximately $3.3 billion in 2012. www.certainteed.com# # #